The San Antonio Spurs knew they struck it big in the Summer of 2015 when they won the LaMarcus Aldridge sweepstakes. The 31-year-old is a promising big man and perfect to succeed Tim Duncan though his 2015-16 performance could eventually place him in the same predicament of the Milwaukee Bucks Greg Monroe.
The Spurs signed Aldridge to a cool four-year $84 million deal though the big man had to prove that he deserved that lucrative contract. He will be serving out the second year of that deal though he will need to pick up his game in a big way.
Aldridge did put up fair numbers, averaging 18 points and 8.5 rebounds last season for the Spurs. While he did share minutes with other big men last year, the scenario is different this season. More is expected from the no. 2 picks of the 2006 NBA draft, CSN reported.
That said, Aldridge finds himself in a fairly similar situation that Greg Monroe is dealing with over in Milwaukee. Monroe made an impression while he was still with the Bucks but has not exactly turned out to be the big man that Jason Kidd and company envisioned him to be.
With frustrations on Monroe, the result was seeing his name in the trade rumor mill. The only problem is that Monroe now carries a hefty price tag, a maximum contract worth about $50 million, ESPN reported.
Aldridge could be a different story though a lot depends on how he can improve under coach Gregg Popovich’s watch. That is perhaps one big difference that he has over Monroe with Popovich known to bring out the best in players.
Aside from that, Aldridge will be playing alongside a tested veteran in Pau Gasol. The Spaniard has been around and can give him a point or two to operate better around the paint.
With those options surrounding the 31-year-old, executing them and finally making an impression on Spurs management may finally douse water on the surprising trade rumors involving the 6-foot-11 cager. If not, expect something crazy to happen before the NBA trade deadline in February 2017.
Check out the video below where LaMarcus Aldridge bares changes to expect as the Spurs move past the Tim Duncan era.